!
! > 16:27 A day of its stand-off with Ukraine cost Russia 55 billion dollars. The total losses of the capitalisation of Russian companies estimate 2 trillion roubles, according to trade on fund and goods markets.
“This is 500 billion more than the cost of the Olympics,” write Russian users on Twitter.
It is known that the Central Bank of Russia increased the basic interest rate on Monday by 1,5 percent point – up to 7% after the rouble fell to a record low.
The Central Bank stated that their decision is an answer to the volatile financial market. The index of the Russian Stock Exchange RTS fell 10,5%.
The rouble, which fell 10% this year in comparison to the dollar, decreased on Monday down to 50 roubles per Euro. The decrease to 36,4 per USD also became a record low.
The prices on raw materials rose to the highest level in the past six months, as the stand-off with Ukraine increased the fears that the import of energy and agricultural produce can be disturbed. - epravda.com.ua
!
! > http://maidantranslations.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/initiative-by-russian-minister-of-far-east-development-to-move-residents-of-ukraine-to-russian-far-east-as-labor/"]Initiative by Russian Minister of Far East Development to Move Residents of Ukraine to Russian Far East as Labor
With this initiative, the Minister of the Far East Alexander Galushka:Aleskandr Galushka, Minister of Development of the Far East informed journalists that residents of Ukraine could become personnel reserves in the advanced development of the Russian Far East territories.
According to Aleskandr Galushka, the Russian Far East should be developed at a faster pace attracting large-scale investments. But one of the limiting factors is a shortage of manpower. “The Ministry in discussions with experts considered such options long before the events now taking place in Ukraine” – said Aleskandr Galushka.
Minister Aleskandr Galushka explained upon which assumptions the position of the Ministry is grounded. He mentioned that “while the GDP per capita in Ukraine has not reached even Soviet levels, that one must proceed not from local acute events, but from long-term sustainable trends related to Ukraine.”
“The obvious advantage of attracting citizens of Ukraine (compared to citizens of other countries - ITAR-TASS) is that the Russian Far East region would have people without language, mental and cultural barriers,” the Minister clarified.
! > Ukraine: UK rules out Russia trade curbs? The government will not curb trade with Russia or close London's financial centre to Russians as part of any possible package of sanctions against Moscow, according to an official document.The document, which was photographed as a senior official carried it into a meeting in Downing Street, says that "the UK should not support for now trade sanctions or close London's financial centre to Russians", while it confirms that ministers ARE considering - along with other EU countries - visa restrictions and travel bans on key Russian figures.
It also says that ministers should "discourage any discussion (eg at Nato) of contingency military preparations" and support "contingency EU work on providing Ukraine with alternative gas" and oil supplies "if Russia cuts them off".
Until now ministers have made no specific threats of action against Russia and Downing Street have stressed the need to keep open the possibility of de-escalating the crisis.
The prime minister said this afternoon that Russia would face "diplomatic, political, economic and other pressures" to send a "clear message" about its actions in the Ukraine.
'Significant costs'The reason for this form of words is clear. Public statements should for now be kept "generic", the document says, whereas specific threats should be "contingent and used for private messaging".
This is in stark contrast to the specific hardline threats made by US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday.
One senior government source told me: "We prefer to speak softly and carry a big stick."
They stressed that European countries were pursuing a deliberate policy of showing to Russia that de-escalation was still possible whilst being clear that "significant costs" would follow if Moscow does not seek a peaceful conclusion to its dispute with Ukraine.
I understand that the prime minister hopes to speak to Germany's Chancellor Merkel tonight. The German attitude is regarded as crucial since they are traditionally in favour of a less confrontational approach to Russia and are heavily dependent on Russian gas and oil.
Downing Street is refusing to comment on a secret document though I understand that other scenarios were considered at a meeting of the National Security Council today
! > 19:55 Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Administration Igor Kolomoyskiy stated that it is possible they will try to make Yanukovich head of the separated part of Ukraine during a meeting with the decision-makers of the region, a video of which was posted on the website “Vovremya.”
According to Kolomoyskiy, in the beginning Yanukovich’s plan presumed that the announcement about the separation of Ukraine would be made at the meeting in Kharkiv on February 25th.
“Yanukovich was to enter the hall and say, ‘Dear MP’s – and there were MP’s from all regions there, – part of Ukraine has been captured. But now, with the help of our wonderful Russian army we will free Ukraine.’ But when he heard the statements of Gepa and Dopa (monikers of Gennadiy Kernes and Mikhailo Dobkin), he understood it wouldn’t work out and left for Donyetsk,” said Kolomoyskiy.
“The new government had a week to put things in order. But they lost the opportunity. And we got the Crimea, and attempts everywhere – starting with Lugansk, Donyetsk, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kherson. It seems like they are trying to reach Transnistria, the whole coast… and then the well-known story – the exit to the Balkans and everything else,” described the plans of the Russian government Kolomoyskiy.
“We saw what happened to Yanukovich: how the unwillingness to part with the little brought about the loss of everything. Today he is a hostage in an enemy country. He can take part in provocations, up until writing orders there, and he, as a marionette, can be brought to the Crimea, Sevastopol, and he will tell everyone there he is still acting president,” said Kolomoyskiy.
“We don’t understand the Russian scenario, but it will play this card – I don’t know, until Turkey blocks its oil tankers (in the Bosphorus straight),” said the oligarch.
According to Kolomoyskiy, he personally proposed to appoint himself head of the regional administration.
“I came here to bring peace, so that we can slowly enter civilian life,” said he.
“I don’t understand how Ukrainians and Russians can fight each other. Taking into account – I will not be diplomatic here, – the schizophrenia of the second opponent… We had one major schizophrenic, and there they have a schizophrenic of small height. He is completely mental, he has gone totally insane. His messianism, the reestablishment of the Russian Empire of 1913 or the USSR of 1991 can bring the world to catastrophe.” - pravda.com.ua
!
!